Single What? Female...

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Immigration AND Ethnic education...

So Arizona didn't want to recognize Martin Luther King Day, but they got over that (after a boycott) .

And then they decided that the only way to deal with illegal immigration in their state was to pass a law (influenced by a white supremicist group) basically giving police and other officials in authority the power to stop anyone they "suspect" is an illegal immigrant, pull them aside and ask for their "papers". If they do not have them, they can be arrested and deported which means that if I was in Arizona, walking around with my nieces and nephew (all of them very blond), looked remotely suspicious, and didn't have my wallet on me, I could get pulled aside and arrested. (but I bet that even if I had my wallet on me and showed them my Massachusetts driver's license they would STILL try to kick me out)

Just sayin'...

Now, this is bad.

But what makes it all even worse is how they are banning "ethnic education" in schools. Ethnic children apparently learning about themselves can allegedly lead to separatist behavior, makes the kids believe they are "different" and is just well, un-American. Soooo...kids are allowed to learn about all the things white people have done but they can't take a Mexican or Black or Native-American history class...which means white kids can't take these classes either...and no one gets to learn about the history and culture of other people who helped create the United States, kids can't learn to take pride in their history and heritage, and perhaps they will take a page from the Texas curriculum and start changing all the books to take out people like Ted Kennedy, Thomas Jefferson, and many others.

Oh Arizona...

I don't like your law about people having to show their papers, but as there is 59% of your folk in support of this and I have not lived in Arizona. But the idea that you would take away on opportunity for students to learn about their culture as well as the culture of others in a separate class can't do anything but make the divide deeper in your state. And do you really want that? I know your governor does, but, the rest of you?

Just don't think this is very American, frankly...but perhaps that's just me...and the 41% of folks who do not dig what is happening in AZ.